


Halo

by Diddle_Riddle



Series: Scars to your Beautiful [6]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Age Difference, Dorks in Love, Everybody knows they're in love, Everyone in Gotham City ships Scriddler, Except the two of them of course, Friendship, Harvey brings angst, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Just a bit of angst at the beginning because of Harvey, M/M, Older Man/Younger Man, The Rogues Gallery, every time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-03-20 19:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18999211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diddle_Riddle/pseuds/Diddle_Riddle
Summary: "Are Riddler and Scarecrow... a couple?""They will be, no doubt.", Selina smirked. "Everyone knows it, as you could notice they are being so obvious about that, it's weird they are the only ones who missed the clues so far. Yet they call themselves the most intelligents of the group! So yes, those idiots are together, they just need a little more time and a strong dose of help from external facilitators to realize it."





	Halo

**Author's Note:**

> This is a series, so the numerical order follows a chronological and logical progression, centering around Edward's evolution through the years. But each part can be read as a stand-alone, especially this one which is written in a much lighter tone than the other episodes. Therefore it can be read even more independently, as a completely autonomous story.
> 
> The title 'Halo' is from the cute love song of the same name by Beyonce.  
> Enjoy!  
> And thank you for reading ;)

Batman's civilian face is Bruce Wayne.

Edward strongly suspected it for years, he was a genius and an excellent detective after all. He deduced a while ago both the first Robin (current Nightwing) and Batgirl's identities, but he still wasn't completely sure about Batman's. The reason of his doubts came from a second person: Harvey Dent. Wayne's best friend, known lawyer who regularly puts himself in danger to bring justice to Gotham City and is so involved in his work and his quest it seemed almost logical he wore the cape and cowl at night to play vigilante after fighting crime the legal way all day at court.

The theory may seemed plausible so far, something remained obscure in the picture: the _money_ problem. This was an issue Dent's salary alone couldn't explain: Batman's full equipment and multiple accessories clearly cost too much for the lawyer to handle with only his personal paycheck. Looking into it however, Edward made the link with the fact Dent's closest friend is a _billionaire_. What a coincidence.

Therefore, over a few years now, Ed nurtured the idea Wayne could be the monetary fund paying for Batman's gadgets without wearing the mask. This hypothesis was something he envisaged with precision, and it made sense given the fact the lawyer also knew Wayne's wards and Barbara Gordon.

Oh and, he must add the second Robin, his favorite of the young bats so far. Whom appeared at the same time as Wayne took in another ward, as luck would have it a young boy named Jason Todd who matched perfectly with Robin's physical appearance.

So yes, Edward Nygma pierced the Bat's acolytes' identities for a while, but he still had doubts about Batman himself, because of how incapable of a person Bruce Wayne seemed to be at doing _anything_. Consequently, it made more sense that Harvey Dent who knows Wayne and his kids and counts almost as a family member to them is the real Batman, instead of having the boring billionaire hanging out all nights dressed as a vampire.

It was one or the other anyways, and if Dent was Batman then Wayne had the role of the cash reserve and is the reason why Batman possesses so many resources. So one way or another, the playboy was involved as well.

At one moment of his ever-lasting investigation on the subject however, Edward had the occasion to attest Harvey Dent and Batman are two separate persons.

To be honest, the accident was tragic. The man was an actual _hero_ , the kind of role model who worked in daylight and put himself in danger by never hiding his face nor his name and openly fought for his convictions. Just like the Commissioner Gordon, once Eddie thought of it. Unlike those two men, the bats and the birds battled _undercover_.

And so far, none of them got hurt. Only the lawyer received a squirt of acid on his face in a tribunal during a case when he judged crime bosses he successfully arrested in cooperation with the rare uncorrupted police forces.

It had been an awful, revolting attack, even the rogues conceded it. Ed followed it on the news, like pretty much all of Gotham City, Dent was a sorta popular figure in town after all. Wayne made declarations after this, obviously shaken and failing to collect himself when his best friend was in the hospital in intensive care and no one could tell he was going to make it out alive.

As far as Edward knew, no one made the link, but Batman's interventions became far more violent over the weeks following Harvey Dent's injury, that many thought will turn out to be fatal. The vigilante wasn't just punching anymore, he _beated up_ and didn't stop even after a fight was over. He almost _killed_ villains during the days after Dent's attack, and more than once both Nightwing and Batgirl had to physically hold him back and _fight_ him to restrain him from committing murder. Robin never stopped him, he lucidly understood the legitimate rage of his mentor and he respected it. That boy was a violent foe.

Edward wondered how people managed to miss such self-explanatory clues about who was the man behind the Bat.

As for him, at least this had him settled for _one_ option instead of keep hesitating between both: Bruce Wayne is Batman, not Harvey Dent.

Or... perhaps Bruce Wayne took the mantle _after_ Dent in order to avenge him?

It could even be more profund: there could have been not _one_ Batman over the previous seventeen years, but _two_. Both Dent and Wayne's physical aspect matched with the vigilante's, so perhaps the Bat was a duo in place of a lone man under the cape.

So let's say the mystery was not fully solved, even if Edward settled more for the option of having only one Batman and not two. But why not, it kind of made sense too.

Or it _would have_ if Dent didn't try to get revenge shortly after he recovered in a very un-Batman way.

After weeks at the hospital, the lawyer escaped Gotham General without anyone knowing, not even Wayne apparently, and he started tracking his attackers then _punished_ them and other mobsters who participated in some way in the plan. Then he exposed their bloody remains, each part of the dismembered bodies tied to street lights as a warning in the streets leading to both the town's main tribunal and the GCPD headquarters, painting red the sidewalks and writing messages of hatred promising punishment with the corpses' blood.

Those were the kind of spectacles usually offered to the citizens by Joker, Professor Pyg and potentially Black Mask. Although none of the villains in town was completely non-lethal, the others never practiced 'slaughter' contrary to the previous three. Even when some mobsters made examples of traitors or enemies by spreading sanguinary warnings in their districts, those were nothing near the shocking scene people were confronted with one morning in the alleys leading to the two main places where former lawyer Harvey Dent worked. The sight was of a rare violence, even by Gotham's standards.

Two-Face was born, and as his actions painted the streets red, Edward highly doubted this man could have been Batman. Or if he ever wore the cowl, then the terrible injury disfiguring the entire left side of his face has been the trigger that drove him crazy and caused him to cross the line between acting as a so-called hero bringing a form of justice to a _punisher_ out for revenge.

The rest of the Rogues Gallery followed his progresses from afar, not trying to contact him. He seemed dangerous, but most of all: he was THE lawyer who dealt with basically _every_ affair related to the mob in the city. So let's say he had a collection of fierce enemies among the underworld, and even the villains who never met him knew about Dent's reputation of being a mobster slayer.

As a result, no one could predict what this newcomer was going to do: become one of them or create a clan on his own and chase down thugs and rogues alike. And as it appeared after he had been arrested and sent to Arkham for the first time, then escaped, the man was quite unsure himself.

Two-Face appeared a few months ago now, and to tell the truth the guy was at a loss, with no idea of what to do with his life and no clue about who he was anymore.

He showed up when Riddler and Catwoman invited him for an evening to properly meet him. Cobblepot refused a sitting in the Iceberg Lounge, he revealed he had a history with the lawyer (as every other mobster in town...), who arrested both his relations in the mob and himself a couple of times over the years. Hence there was no reunion of rogues at the Lounge, as it often happened to evaluate if a newcomer who made quite an impression for his first entry could turn out to be actually somebody.

But instead of skipping the tradition, Eddie found an alternative and decided they could meet the newest foe in a more quiet atmosphere.

He really  _wanted_ to talk to this man he associated with a potential Batman for years, but in case something went sour he wisely chose not to be alone with him. Selina was intrigued as well by the man, so she accepted quickly when he proposed they should invite him to have a drink with them. When they did so Jervis was at Arkham, and Pamela recently met Harley Quinn. After four years of acting strictly as the Joker's sidekick, the girl started to open to other persons. She used to be someone Pam never granted a word or a look to because of her vehement hatred for the laughing clown, but she met Harley by accident during a robbery a few months ago, and since then the women found themselves... sticking around with each other. A bit. Just... trying something, none of them knowing what.

When Ed asked about the nature of their fresh bond, Pam answered she had no idea why she felt all weird around the girl, wanted to see her more and already began to miss her when they spent more than a few days without seeing each other.

To avoid being attacked by Ivy, Eddie severely refrained a suggestive comment about the reason why Pamela developed this unexpected attraction for Quinzel. After all, he had no lessons to give about romance.

He rather organized a sympathetic evening in a lovely hideout with Selina, and managed to convince Jonathan to join as well despite the fact the doctor had not even the _beginning_ of an interest over meeting the new guy. But he came nonetheless, mostly to ensure Edward's safety during his meeting with the former lawyer turned mass murderer.

So now, all three of them were going to properly welcome Two-Face in their world before he got to meet everybody. By doing so, they'll try to decipher if he was friend or foe.

"Welcome to the circus!", Edward concluded with a smirk at the end of his presentation during their evening. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay, fellow interesting newcomer."

Harvey Dent looked at him, very confused by the turn the conversation was taking. Selina grinned upon seeing his unsure attitude, and Jonathan still looked bored out of his mind and completely indifferent, not saying a word and not paying much attention to his surroundings.

"Don't worry, Harv'.", Catwoman smirked. "We aren't playing you for a foul."

"Dent.", he corrected sternly in his rough voice.

Life ruined by the acid that deformed his face or not, Harvey considered he could still ask for a bit of _respect_ coming from people addressing him.

Nygma and Kyle shared an amused glance as if he said something particularly funny, and the reaction upset him right away.

"You are the first lawyer of the group.", Eddie took back, showing way too much enthusiasm over the new boy (said new boy was something like fifteen years older than him, but since he freshly joined the Rogues Gallery he was considered as 'the new boy'). "We have doctors, teachers, thieves, and so many psychiatrists we don't know what to do with those anymore.", he chuckled. "But you are the first _lawyer_. That's actually thrilling."

"Perhaps...", he only commented, still confused as Hell with the situation.

He used to be... on the other side. His all life long, he only fought for justice against villains, thieves, killers or rogues, would they be members of the Rogues Gallery, underrated criminals, crime bosses, mobsters or abusers of any type.

He used to _impersonate_ the fight in Gotham City by being an official visage of crime fighting.

While now...

"Why are you... welcoming me?", he asked them later, his low voice strangely husky suddenly. "I used to put you and your kind behind bars."

Riddler and Catwoman shared another look, and Scarecrow let out a contemptuous scoff before pouring himself another whiskey without proposing to anyone despite the fact Harvey's own glass was almost empty too.

"You didn't put _us_ behing bars personally.", Edward dithered. "I never met you before, I only saw you on TV quite often after you succeeded at arresting dangerous fellows."

"Same.", Selina backed up and Jonathan grumbled something like "Me too".

"You are intriguing.", Riddler took back afterwards, an inquisitive smile forming on his lips while his light green eyes shined with curiosity. "You are one of the rare persons who would _never_ have turned rogue if one bad day didn't change your life forever. You were the contrary of a villain. You are the fallen angel who lost his halo and turned out to be far worse and much more violent than most of the demons down there once Heaven cast you out."

Harvey glared at him. What was this boy after?

"So?", he retorted coldly. "What are you trying to say? I must warn you, I _don't like_ riddles."

"Too bad.", Edward laughed, not an ounce of fear showing in his demeanor despite the murderous glance Two-Face granted him. "We could have been such awesome friends!"

Harvey blinked, not getting what happened. His reaction caused the two younger ones to laugh and Scarecrow to offer him half a smile (the sight was highly creepy by the way), proving the doctor finally took a bit of interest in what happened around him.

Harvey couldn't tell how it happened, but the conversation pursued, and he even... had a good time; the first since his accident. This reality only left him even more puzzled.

"I _play_ with the Bat, I don't try to kill him.", Selina answered with a satisfied smirk when the lawyer asked about the fights between them and Batman.

"So do I.", Eddie grinned. "I try to outsmart him every time, but it's not a deadly game, more like... a dance. I love to see it that way."

"I try to kill him.", Jonathan as for him declared in a monotonous tone of voice. "He is a thorn in my side, and I attempt to eliminate him and his kids every time they show up and foil my plans. Such annoyances they are."

"Thanks for your input, Jon.", Ed concluded. "Your words are always so very enlightening."

The professor grumbled, and Harvey couldn't help but think the three rogues here were... funny. Sort of.

"That's another thing Lina and I have in common.", Riddler joked after that. "We court the same boyfriend."

It was imperceptible, but Scarecrow's blue eyes shined with a sparkle of _rage_ behind his glasses at the mention, as if the mere idea of Nygma and the Bat being involved in a sick version of a love game was simply revolting to him. It disappeared rapidly however, so even though Harvey noticed, he didn't comment, and rather relaunched the topic:

"So you two are like... rivals?"

This time they bursted out laughing and Jonathan huffed in disapproval.

"Of course not!", Edward giggled.

"He is my kitten.", Selina emphazied, just as amused, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and putting a light kiss on the orange hair on the side of his head, in a gesture obviously usual.

If the mention of Batman and Edward being somehow close revolted Crane, this left him unmoved. So there was no ambiguity about Catwoman and Riddler's relationship, whom looked like a big sister with her baby brother rather than anything romantic.

"We don't fight over Batsy, we flirt with him."

"And make fun of him.", Ed completed, to what she approved. "So that we have captivating and funny stories to tell afterwards."

They shared another complicit glance.

They didn't look like a known thief and a criminal matermind at the moment, and honestly neither did Crane look like a fearsome scientist, slouched as he was on the couch and glaring at everyone like a grumpy old cat who wants to be left alone.

The evening went on, Harvey found out he actually enjoyed himself even if he didn't admit it out loud. It was very late in the night when Edward left with the Scarecrow to go back to their shared apartment.

"It's like that.", Selina told him before leaving as well, easily understanding the reason of his confusion over the fact he spent a lovely moment with them. "We are monsters or evil creatures in the rest of the town's opinion, and sometimes we act as such. But when it's just us together outside the schemes, we are... well, us. We don't wear the masks in private. Not every time at least, it would be far too heavy as a burden for everyone if we never took a break from our 'rogues' persona to interact as human beings."

Harvey nodded. He understood the concept. Keep acting almost as friends outside their plans must be the only thing that kept the rogues from loosing their grip on reality and becoming... something else. The fact they reminded each other they were persons before being a walking Halloween costume was certainly the only piece of sanity they had left. Harvey may wasn't there since long, one thing appeared to be at least clear from the moment he stepped in the underworld and his first stay at Arkham: everybody hated the Joker. So this sort of socializing process they practiced together never concerned the clown, he was somehow _too far_ into the madness even by the other villains' standards.

"I didn't choose this.", he said quietly, and it came out way more broken than he wished.

The lawyer Harvey Dent always wore a mask of confidence to appear a man without weaknesses and sure of his choices. But he was not convinced to be Harvey Dent anymore, not _this_ Harvey Dent anyway.

"You'll get used to it.", Catwoman comforted him gently. "We don't usually... open up that fast, we rather evaluate a newcomer's worth, we don't act as kind as tonight during the first meeting with a new member who isn't Eddie."

"... Riddler benefitted from a special care?", he guessed.

"Sort of."

Selina smiled fondly.

"He was fifteen the first time I met him. And he made his first steps as the Riddler under Scarecrow and Poison Ivy's mentorship. He was... a kid. _Our_ kid, the child of the Gallery as we refer to him when he isn't listening, and somehow we all looked out for him at the beginning. And now look at him.", she added with a blatant satisfaction. "Still so young yet walks like a little king, dresses in fancy suits, plays and flirts with Batman, teams up with the most emblematic and dangerous members of the circus, and is friend with practically everybody."

"So you are what... proud of him and his 'career'?"

"Not just me.", she rectified. "We all are."

They stayed silent a short moment after this, then Harvey informed himself of another point the evening made him ponder over:

"Are Riddler and Scarecrow... a couple?"

"They will be, no doubt.", Selina smirked. "Everyone knows it, as you could notice they are being so _obvious_ about that, it's weird they are the only ones who missed the clues so far. Yet they call themselves the most intelligents of the group! So yes, those idiots are together, they just need a little more time and a strong dose of help from external facilitators to realize it."

That was very funny, once again.

"And Eddie likes you.", she added too. "He wanted to meet you, you are on his list of new 'interesting subjects', even if I admit I don't know why. But he wants you to become one of us, participate to the meetings, and join for the parties we organize together."

"Is this the reason of the warm greeting?"

"In a way.", she recognized. "Everything related to Eddie automatically concerns at least me, Crane, Isley and Tetch. Potentially some of the others as well, it depends on the case."

"I have a history with many persons in your business of action, and I had a specific personal history with Isley a long time ago. It didn't... end well, to say the least."

"Don't worry about that. Pam hates _everybody_ , so you won't be a problem but just another face she despises on her very extended list that encompasses basically every human on this planet."

"She hates everybody but she looks out for Riddler?", he asked, confused, and Selina winked playfully.

"What can I say?", she answered. "We all have a soft spot for the kid."

__________________

 

"Why don't you just ask him out?"

He glared at Nina and her almost bored expression while she asked.

"It doesn't work like that.", he retorted, unamused.

"Of course it does.", Diedre backed up her partner. "When you like a guy, you tell him, if he likes you too then fine, you try a thing with him and if he says no or breaks your heart, you broke his fingers and punch him so hard he blacks out and mourns all his life long what he lost by acting like a jerk with you. Simple as that."

Edward sighed as the two older women shared a complicit glance.

He met Nina Damfino and Diedre Vance four months ago during a heist, and they could say it had been love at first sight: they put the barrel of their guns on both his temples the second he stepped in and told him to get out because this was _their_ robbery. The duo showed up a week before this meeting, attacking banks and appearing as new villains who wanted to enter the business.

The way they met could have ended in a bath of blood, but instead of answering to a provocation with another (as he was prompt to do most of the time), Edward rather proposed them... a job. And not only because they shot dead his previous three bodyguards when they tried to defend him inside the bank. He told them he had money and a gang, was planning a big plan and could use fighters both to lead the operations and ensure his protection. Given their obvious skills at fighting, those two girls could be perfect for the job. After the tempting prospect of a large salary and a promise to introduce them to crime bosses as they wished, plus to help them make a sensational debut in the business if they accepted a contract with him, the two women were hired.

Nevertheless, neither Edward nor them predicted they would become _friends_. The girls enjoyed being part of the first job they completed together, but instead of parting ways after this contract as they all expected things would evolve, they found themselves... staying with Riddler for another scheme. Then another. And another again.

One thing leading to another, it didn't take a genius to understand they weren't simple colleagues but actual friends.

And contrary to the main Rogues Gallery members with whom Edward shared close ties, Nina and Diedre were not reluctant to _call him_ a friend. The word 'friendship' was not a taboo with them like it was sometimes with the others. That Selina was a somehow mother figure, Pam a scary big sister, Harley the funny pal everybody loves, Jervis a good friend and the new one Harvey about to become a big brother too didn't mean they easily referred to each others as friends. As for Jon... that was something else.

 _He_ was something else, Edward simply failed to figure out what he meant to him precisely.

"I won't 'ask him out'.", he opposed after Diedre told him with enthusiasm to do just that. "Besides I am... not even sure this is 'love' and not... another form of affection I feel towards him."

"I sincerely think you can settle for 'love'.", the blond girl gave her opinion. "The way you describe it, how you act whenever you talk about him... it does sound like a crush."

She was brushing her long hair sitting on the swinging chair in the garden.

Their current hideout was a real house, a place looking almost like a mansion far from the center of the city, at a fringe location outside town in the forest circling the South part of Gotham. Needless to say, being in the countryside meant it was harder to plan a next attack, but since they were not working on a scheme for the time being, it looked like vacations.

Those first days of June were incredibly hot, it almost looked like they were in August earlier, and the temperatures exceeded the usual records for the month. This summer was already predicted to be the hottest of the previous ten years.

The information made them smile when they saw it on the news in the TV of their manor-like hideout. Because ten years ago, neither Ed nor Nina and Diedre lived in Gotham.

All of this to say, they weren't in a rush to step back in the overheated streets and attack the city while the heat was too unbearable to even walk on the sidewalks without needing to plunge into cold water to regain a body temperature coherent with survival. Otherwise advancing on the burning asphalte turned to be an experience analogous to what an egg feels when being cooked.

So well... they took sort of holidays.

They had fun last night at the Icerberg Lounge, and parted ways after a very pleasant evening with most of the rogues. Jonathan worked on a plan solo, so Edward wasn't living with him these days. They often shared hideouts and spent a lot of time together, along with Ivy and in Jervis' company to discuss science. But they didn't _live_ one with the other every day, and when they planned attacks individually they always spent the required time to work on their elaborations on their own.

"You should ask if he dated already.", Nina proposed later.

"Why?"

The girls smiled.

"Just so you'll know what to expect.", Diedre explained.

Contrary to Selina, who was both a big sister and a mother figure to him, Query and Echo, although older than him of respectively six and eight years, were  _friends_. So it was not the same ambiance when they talked together than what applied with Selina, neither with the other rogues Ed was close to. With the girls everything seemed somehow more... carefree.

"Should we push you into his arms to encourage you making the first move?", Nina taunted then, and he shook his head, amused.

"That won't be necessary. I told you, I am not even _sure_ I like Jon this way. It's just that... it's different. I felt something different... inside me, over the last times we hugged, when he smiles at me or when we are... close. There's something new that wasn't there before. And at the last occasion I slept with him in his bed after a nightmare? It was... not like before, while we've been doing this for _years_ now."

"What was this feeling of 'before' you had?", Echo inquired. "Maybe if you can put a name on it, it will help you see things clearer."

"Perhaps.", he recognized, actually admirative over the found solution, and gulped another mouthful of his ice cream flavour mint with chocolate chips. "Let's say he is my _friend_ , and I always saw him like that.", he pursued then. "A very dear friend, someone who understands me, stimulates me intellectually and makes me laugh. Someone I enjoy sharing moments with and who comforts me, sometimes by his simple _presence_."

"That's very paradoxical for a scarecrow.", Query giggled, and the three of them laughed.

Indeed, they didn't seem to be a boss and henchwomen, a mildly crazy mastermind and trained killers, or criminal associates. Here and now, they were just three buddies chatting lightly and enjoying ice cream together during a hot afternoon in the nice garden of their shared residence, in an holidays-like atmosphere.

And it felt just so good.

"Trust my experience with men.", Diedre smirked again afterwards. "Ask the good doctor if he ever dated, and analyse his response and the way he acts when you evoke the subject: it will give you a few important clues on his opinion about romantic relationships in general, before entering in the more _specific_ area of a relationship between the two of you."

"... And what if he looks positively _disgusted_ by the mere idea of 'romantic relationships in general'?"

The girls shared a glance, and Nina put a hand on his shoulder. She was sitting with him on the camping blanket at the foot of Diedre's swinging chair, the tall oak above their heads delivering a very welcomed shadow in the sunny day. She told him very seriously:

"Then at least you'll be fixed on one point: it's going to be very hard."

"I figured that one already."

They shared another look, then bursted out laughing again.

Before going back to the house to steal other ice creams in the fridge then coming back to eat them on their peaceful spot in the middle of the garden. It felt so good to play this cliché of the young adults taking a break in summer vacations, talking about their crushes and other innocent subjects like these instead of discussing work and attacks. Right now they looked like university students (Edward was twenty-one after all, and even though Query and Echo were a few years older, they played along easily in the role) who relaxed for example after their exams, just enjoying their pals' company for a sympathetic holiday in a friendly mood.

_______________

 

"Have you ever dated?"

Jonathan looked up from his book, surprised by the question what popped up out of the blue at one moment during the evening. He was not paying much attention to his surroundings, because absorbed in his chemistry reading. But now he looked around, Edward settled for the corner of the table in the living room Jon used as an office.

As ever, he always sat _there_ when he came to take a closer look at what his colleague was working on. No matter how many times Jon told him he didn't like much the habit, Ed was the kind of child who does whatever he wants no matter what others order him.

It was probably part if his charms, once Jon took the time to think about it.

"What do you want?", the doctor asked rather than answering, looking up to him.

This was the real reason Eddie perched on the edge of that table whenever Jon was sitting in his desk chair: it was one of the rare occasions Jonathan had to _look up_ to him, instead of the other way around with Ed having to snap his neck in half to properly gaze at the much taller man; Scarecrow being ridiculously tall and scrany, and Edward still getting amused comments about his juvenile appearance by every Rogues Gallery members who are taller than him, that is to say _many_ , despite the fact he now properly finished his growth.

So nope, he had no more chance to gain the few centimeters Selina had over him. And Ivy was and will stay almost a head taller than him. What a pain...

"I have some strange thoughts lately.", Ed told his friend in an attempt to sound innocent and wondering. "About things I never considered before, or at least not since a very long time."

Jonathan arched an eyebrow.

"You are twenty-one.", he pointed out, perplexed. "May I know what 'a very long time' is supposed to mean to you?"

Ed very maturely stuck out his tongue at him for response, like the naughty brat he has always been, and Jonathan scoffed. In his early twenties or not, nothing won't ever change the fact Riddler was a _child_.

Partly the reason why everyone in the Gallery still calls him 'kid' despite his protests. Not only was he a teenager when he took his mantle and joined the Gotham rogues, but instead of acquiring maturity with experience, he became at the same time more petty and childish in his attitude and more skilled as a villain.

What a walking paradox he was...

And for now, this paradox decided to be incredibly annoying, as it happened so very _often_.

"I've never.", Jonathan offered as an answer later, after Edward relaunched the subject of him ever being in a relationship.

Edward cocked his head to the side, curious.

"Not even in College? Or... when you were a teacher? You had enough years as a young adult before dressing up for Halloween all days of the year!"

Scarecrow huffed.

"I had better things to do.", he simply retorted.

"... Have you ever crushed on someone?"

This time the professor frowned a bit. What was Edward after? What information was he looking for exactly, and why did he seem so... nervous, it transpired in his body language in spite of his perfect control of his voice.

"I have.", Jon guardedly conceded after a moment spent reflexioning about should he open up or stay quiet on this subject they never discussed before. "When I was in college.", he pursued, not seeing this as a memory he must hide in the end. "Just a silly, young adult crush on a work colleague when I was a student. Nothing serious though."

"You didn't ask them out?"

"I didn't have to.", he sighed. "She invited me to go out with her at a Halloween party organized by a few comrades of ours. Invited me to go out with her as her  _date_."

"... She was mocking you, right?", Edward deduced upon hearing the disgust and slight bitterness in Jon's voice.

The older one nodded quietly. It was no secret that nothing in Jonathan's life of before the Scarecrow went well, would it be on family matters or regarding other social interactions.

"Sorry.", Eddie said softly. "She shouldn't have played with you that way. No one should."

Jonathan just shrugged, easily brushing away the feeling.

"It was a long time ago, and before you misinterpret: I am not in love with this girl, whatever her name is, and I don't hold... a resentment towards her. No more than towards the other persons who abused me physically or psychologically at some point. She is a faceless, unknown individual who tried to hurt me at the time I haven't yet become numb enough to shield myself from these... inconveniences coming with letting oneself exposed to criticisms and mean attempts."

"And you never tried again after that?", Ed asked a moment later, trying to decipher behind Jon's usual emotionless facial expression how he truly felt about this.

Despite being... he thought he could call him his best friend by now, at least that's how Eddie referred to the former teacher from the moment he took him in and helped him fully becoming the Riddler, he still had a hard time figuring out what he was thinking most of the time. How he... felt.

And since Nina and Diedre recommended he broached the topic in a quite simple manner just to evaluate how Jon felt about romance before talking about their own situation, he finally acted brave enough to make this sort of first step into asking Jonathan Crane out. The thought itself may seem incredibly odd and quite funny once someone else thought of it, but it made the butterflies go crazy inside Ed's stomach when he seriously foresaw it.

"No, I never met an... interesting enough situation, to try those things again.", the doctor concluded.

It was obvious he told the truth.

"While we're at it... are you a virgin?"

Given the shocked expression the question provoked on the doctor's face, it had been more than worth it to ask it.

Edward grinned, proud as ever whenever he managed to surprise this cold man.

"... No.", Jonathan answered after a moment, though his cheeks were colored of an unusal shade of pink making him look adorably confused. "I am not.", he confirmed, then he sighed and leaned back into his chair. "I've never been in a relationship, not even a small, meaningless one like teenagers are doing which lasts less than a month. But I had sex already. Only with... non-relationship partners."

Ed's smirk grew wider.

"My, my, Jonathan! Who would have bet you are one to spend money on prostitutes?"

Jon glared at him.

"This is something every single bachelor... and every person in couple too, does in this city. Even Pamela did so, this is nothing surprising neither it is a juicy information. Besides.", he added, resigned. "It was a _long time ago_ , back at when I was teaching. And I haven't... reexperienced after I became Scarecrow, so many years ago I almost don't remember my life of before. Almost."

They shared a glance.

Among other unspoken rules between the rogues, there was the taboo concerning activities at Arkham. When they needed comfort over it or had nightmares related to what happened at the asylum, they could go to a fellow comrade and spend a moment with them to distract their mind from the visions. It was a coping mechanism they were many to practice: spend a relaxed moment with someone doing small talks on innocent subjects to think of something else. During those interactions, they never evoked the reason why they arrived at a colleague's hideout without warning at any time of the day to chat lightly, and none of them ever asked. No need to justify themselves since they all shared the habit, and no one wanted to talk in detail about what happened in Arkham's guts since everyone lived similar situations, if not every time at least during some stays at the prison.

Those taboos concerned hygiene of course, but not only. For example, it was a shared opinion that forced physical activities more likely with the staff weren't evoked outside the cells, except when an inmate took revenge on a doctor or a guard. So although they had, at a more of less severe level, experience in beating, torture of various kinds, humiliations and sexual abuse, outside the asylum they acted as if none of the above happened.

As if it was as simple as that, and every time they escaped what happened to them during their stays disappeared. As if they were not wearing the scars of it anymore, at both a corporal and mental level. Until the next time.

"Why?", Crane eventually asked. "Why are you suddenly interested in my nonexistent love life?"

"... I'm on a case.", Ed answered, evasive. "I need to... deduce the nature of something unusual I feel, and I needed to have your opinion on love to collect a few data to progress in my investigation. Private purpose only, nothing I'm trying to use for a scheme there."

Jon studied him closely, as the skilled psychiatrist he was.

"Why asking _me_ , then?", he inquired, suspicious. "Everyone in the Gallery has more experience than me on this field. Why not asking your buddy Selina?"

"... Because it's something else. I... wanted to hear your point."

Jonathan arched an eyebrow.

For that the Riddler felt like he couldn't open up with Catwoman, it meant whatever bothered him was... special.

"Care to tell me more?"

"When I'll have more informations.", the redhead responded delicately. "I need to assess a few things first, I am not able to formulate an appropriate analysis for now."

"Let me know when you're ready, then.", Scarecrow concluded, getting Ed won't develop further but not upset by not knowing more either.

He was glad his protégé showed once again his trust in him, this time with whatever investigation he worked on. And he knew he'll have the answer once Eddie will figure it out anyway, so no need to rush the confidence.

Contrary to popular belief, Crane was a very patient person. He had been a teacher, a psychiatrist, and his own... personal psychological traumas participated too, in the fact he was relatively pedagogue with people he somehow cared about. He has been a mentor for Edward from the day the little boy showed up in his green spandex at Arkham asylum for the first time, so patience was a virtue he was more than used to practice with him.

"You'll be the first one I tell.", Eddie confirmed his thoughts, smiling sweetly, an adorable blush flushing the milky, tender young flesh.

He may pretended he looked more adult now he was taller, stronger, dressed in suits and talking with confidence all the time, it was still very easy, especially for people who saw him at the beginning, to attest just how much of a child Edward Nygma truly is.

__________

 

"Eddie? Why don't you... come over?"

Jonathan tried not to sound judging or commanding, he learned a while ago he needed to be careful when Edward was having those kind of nightmares or breakdowns. Talking to him in a manner that could be heard as a bit too directive risked to be associated with violent demands other persons made him over the years.

So he tried again, forcing his usually monotonous tone to stay gentle:

"Would you like me to move?"

"N-No...", came the very predictable answer.

Whenever Eddie woke up in the middle of a nightmare like that when Jon and him shared a cell at Arkham, he never wanted his friend to come in his bed, _he_ was always the one who stood up from his bunk, crossed the small room and climbed on Scarecrow's thin mattress, then nuzzled against his friend's chest... cuddling even, to calm himself down while Jonathan whispered appeasing words in his ear and stroked his back in circular, comforting motions.

He was the child and Jon was the caring adult offering comfort, not the other way around. And Edward needed his habits to be strictly followed, he kept everything around him along with his attitudes neatly organized and went through repeated schedules. His autistic behaviors always showed up with more force when in moments of weakness like those, and Jonathan knew how to adapt to the situations as well as how to make Ed react.

"Edward?", he insisted, using his best delicate intonation. "Why don't you want to come over?"

Ed sniffed, and Jon could see the tears shining on his cheeks as they reflected the outside lights coming in the corridor by the external windows, the only source of light in the prison after curfew.

"I... It's different...", he murmured, sounding utterly broken.

Jon watched him cautiously, trying to get what provoked this change in demeanor.

"Why?", he asked very softly. "What's 'different'?"

That just caused the young man to sniff some more, then he stood up on shaky legs, grabbed his thin blanket and quickly reached the other end of the cell. Used to these nights, repeated many times over Edward's six years of being the Riddler, Jonathan immediately opened his arms for him and Eddie nested himself between them, like a child in need of solace and seeking for it in his mother's embrace after people hurt him.

"It's okay, baby boy.", Jon whispered tenderly, stroking the soft orange hair.

They were now sitting together on the narrow berth on the left side of the cell, where they customarily spent the nights nearly every time when they were paired in the same cell. What happened _most of the time_  from the moment Scarecrow made it very clear no one had the right to touch, watch or talk to Edward in a way he didn't appreciate, otherwise he was going to kill their entire family in front of their eyes.

When Ed calmed enough and pulled away from the hug, Jon asked delicately, not stopping to stroke his hair gently:

"Why were you hesitating?"

He hadn't been a single moment, would they be at Arkham or sharing a hideout. When he needed comfort after a nightmare, he entered Jon's bedroom, climbed in his bed when the other man was asleep, and cuddled him. Jonathan had the role of something between a comfort object, a stuffed toy he could hug and burry his face into to dry the tears, and a caring fellow always ready to shush him no matter the time of the day or the night, what he was doing or would they have been fighting previously as it already happened a couple of times.

"Because it's different.", Edward repeated, his voice hoarse after the vivid nightmare and the loud sobs his body produced in response to the visions mixing various painful memories.

"How so?"

"... I couldn't just jump there and hug you, then sleep with you tonight.", he said, on the verge of crying again, and Jon looked down to him with a sincere worry.

He wished the lights were a bit brighter, he wanted to see precisely Edward's expression, not only a glimpse of it like it was the case in the dim light.

"Why?", he tried again, not getting it. "You've been doing this for years, you didn't ask for my consent at first, and certainly not for any kind of permission to use me as your cuddly teddy bear."

What of course was far from being an accusation, he was smiling while telling this and his tone was openly fond. The remark had the advantage of making Eddie smile a little too, Jon saw the sparkle of his white teeth as the corner of his mouth lifted up.

"Well, cuddly-teddy-Scarecrow.", he mocked, because breakdown or not Ed's legendary sass was always the first thing to be back in working order after an episode of weakness. "I just meant that..."

His voice betrayed how unsure he suddenly felt, and he pursued, troubled:

"I can't relate about the feeling, I never experienced it before. But it's a bit like... two childhood friends shared a bed more than once when they were little, and no one ever thought that might be a problem, and the two friends never felt anything special when sleeping together, since they were just... sharing a bed because they are close and because it helps making them feel safer, to be with each other."

His voice was so hesitant, so thin, so... unlike him, Jonathan began to feel a strange form of pressure invading his chest and his worry increased.

"I am not your childhood pal.", he argued nevertheless, and he heard the unexpected husky tone of his intonation. "You may were a teenager when we met, I was not, far from it, and nothing will ever change the fact I am twenty two years older than you. Our... interactions, are closer to a parent-child relationship, and about sharing a bed? Most of our colleagues are doing the same at Arkham, would that be just to gather the minimal required body heat to survive the nights during winter. I concede to you we might be... close, and I enjoy your company, I think I told you so enough already. But for the rest? This 'feeling safe' sensation you evoked explains itself because I impersonate something between a mentor, a parent figure or a... role model perhaps, to you. There is nothing else or nothing new there: I am not your friend in another way than by being the adult in charge who cares about you."

"You are not my parent figure, Jon.", he denied right away.

He was obviously convinced of it, but his eldest couldn't bring himself to give more thought about the quite disturbing subtext here, sounding like that at least to the doctor's ears.

"You never have been.", Edward went on. "Mentor? Yes. Role model? Definitely, at some point. But parent?"

He smiled to himself, a sad little smile upon getting this was how Jonathan saw him: as a child. Worse, as _his_ child. How could things ever evolve between them if he thought of him as his kid?!

"You are not.", he ended quietly. "You are my best friend and the closest thing I ever had to family. But not in a 'parent' kind of way."

Then he stood up once more, turning his head for that Jon didn't see the new tears shining in his eyes.

"Edward.", the professor called patiently, with this affectionate, caring tone he never used for anyone else than him. "Please stay."

"I'm okay.", he lied faintly. "I don't need to be comforted tonight, I'll just... go back to my bunk and..."

"Edward."

A spidery hand grabbed his wrist, and Ed looked back at the older man. In the ambient shadows his facial expression may was difficult to read, Eddie knew him well enough to picture the soft gleam in his blue eyes, and the way his smile turned loving.

"You are free to do whatever you want, of course.", Jonathan reassured him nicely. "But just because you feel... off, or slightly different about me lately, does not mean you have to shut off the feeling or stop acting like yourself. You know I won't ask for anything from you, or for you to tell me what has been bothering you if you don't want to. But if you do..."

He gazed at him fondly, and even though Ed couldn't see it in the dark, he definitely _heard_ it in his voice:

"Just remember. Whatever it is. I'll never judge you or think what you say is 'silly' or childish. If something's on your mind, no matter how insignificant you may believe it is, it still is important for me because it _impacts_ you. And nothing has the right to intrude on this beautifully complex and brilliant brain of yours without this becoming a serious deal and an enemy I make myself a point to fight."

Then he let go of Ed's slim wrist, and lied back on his berth.

"After all... I am your favorite therapist, am I not?", Jonathan recalled, and Eddie smiled in return.

"That you are.", he answered fondly. "In fact, Jon... you are my favorite everything."

And he lost no time coming back to the bunk, lying next to him and nuzzling between those long, bony arms that provided him so much comfort.

"Except maybe my favorite cook.", he joked, smiling as he put his head on Jon's chest as if it was a pillow. "I still remember that terrible time you tried to bake yourself my birthday cake."

Jonathan sighed.

"You said it was 'the intention that counted', and that you highly appreciated the effort.", he reminded him.

"I did.", Eddie grinned in response.

Then he lifted himself up a little to look at Jonathan's face in the dark.

"Even if the said effort resulted in a burnt piece of chocolate cake that could have been delicious if you didn't intervene. Jervis and I still mourn all those poor ingredients that could have created a tasty dessert, yet ended up thrown in the trash after Oswald almost broke a tooth on it when he tried to eat it despite everyone's warnings."

"At least it serves as a lesson.", Scarecrow retorted. "I can't take care of the mysteries coming with 'kitchen stuff'."

Edward laughed.

"Indeed. You can't."

Then he nested himself back against his friend, and the older man readjusted the two thin blankets over their bodies.

"Thanks Jon.", Eddie said quietly, cuddling him tighter.

Even if Jonathan wasn't precisely sure why Edward thanked him, he just put a delicate kiss on the top of his head and answered tenderly:

"Anytime, child."

He felt the way Ed tensed a bit at the nickname, for the first time while Jon has been using it since their meeting. But Eddie didn't say anything and eventually relaxed, before shutting off the system and letting himself driven to sleep. It was one of the many characteristics Jon admired and found incredibly funny about the boy: he could fall asleep in less than a few minutes when he decided to, as if he turned off an internal computer. Just like he could stay awake more than seventy-two hours working on blueprints before he remembered he needed to sleep. His inner biological regulation worked... very differently than anyone else's.

Jonathan smiled to himself.

He may wasn't sure why Ed acted mildly different recently around him, he knew that whatever it was, he could face the difficulty and help Edward move on and go back to his usual self. Could the boy be... loosing his trust in him? Jon felt his heart ache at the thought. He became so used to have him around, so... glad, to see his little ginger head at his side almost daily, his green eyes shining with interest, his smile, this so pretty, so... juvenile smile whenever he said or succeed at something. He talked far too much and his ego sometimes peaked at a disproportionate level, but... it was part of his personality, part of all the aspects that, once reunited, made him so special.

And Jonathan loved everything about him. His little baby boy.

_________________

 

"Dah, ya guys are always togather!"

Edward glared at him.

"Can't you speak normally?", he required once again. "You sound like a caveman, I don't get half of what you are saying most of the time!"

"And I thought ya were a freaking genius! But ya can't even figure out clues to understand some languages!"

The kid laughed and Edward sighed.

It was always like that during his plans or whenever Robin showed up at his hideouts: their interactions turned into children bickering. No question, he loved this boy.

In comparison with the bats (although Ed liked Robin as a friend rather than just someone to rank on the same level as Batman's other acolytes), he liked him a _lot more_ than the first Robin and Batgirl, even if she was very smart and it was kinda enjoyable to discuss with clever persons who could keep up with him, given how rare that was. And sure thing this was _not_ something Robin was able to do, not even a little.

However he was so _fond_ of this petulant, brainless brat with no manners. He stopped trying to figure out why a while ago.

"So?", Robin asked again, his usual cocky grin on. "Are ya and Scary Skeleton a couple?"

Edward glared again.

"None of your business. And don't call him that.", he cut, categorical, and Robin laughed.

"It sort of is 'my business'.", he countered though. "Since ya are my enemy and all..."

"So I'm your 'enemy' now?!", Eddie exclaimed. "You just hurt my feelings, I hope you're proud of yourself!"

They shared a complicit smile.

"He is not.", Edward answered after a moment, looking at nothing in particular. "He... doesn't see me that way."

"But ya do?", the younger one guessed, and Eddie nodded.

"I _think_ I do.", he dithered. "I... don't have much experience in this field."

"Ya're a virgin?"

"And you are something like fourteen. I am not answering this question."

The boy laughed again.

Even though Edward knew Robin's civilian identity, just like for the rest of the bats, he never told anyone he figured it out. No one, neither in the Rogues Gallery nor the sort of 'Batfamily' was aware Ed deduced their lives outside the masks. He never used it against them, and never will, so how could they have guessed he had the information?

He played along, not telling Robin he knew his name was Jason Todd and that he turned fifteen two months ago now.

Edward was friend with Robin, flirted as a game with Batman and held... no particular opinion on Nightwing except the fact his mullet was a crime against humanity, and even though he acknowledged Batgirl was clever, he was not close by any means to her. Those were his relationships with the bats, and they were not something he wanted to throw away, he sort of liked his interactions with them. While if they knew he had the knowledge of their identities, they won't act the same way around him.

For the anecdote, Jason changed his uniform with the scaly green panty during the year, to switch to a new suit with pants and no more green on it. Ed made him notice he liked the old one much better and mocked the lack of originality of going from 'Robin' to a sort of 'red Robin'. Although the sidekick's name itself didn't change, he admitted he'll give a thought about the actual _name_ Red Robin.

"Jeez, it's catchy.", he declared the first time Ed joked over it.

"Not at all.", Riddler scoffed. "If you want 'red' in your title, you should rather change of character completely instead of adding it on the _Robin_ name. Only a moron with a very limited imagination would use an existing powerful name and add a _color_ or whatever to it, to what... try to stand out? It's _silly_ and _disrespectful_ , especially when it comes to a name like 'Robin', it's full of meanings the way it is, changing a bit of it just makes you look like a pretender, while a new identity seems like a much more appropriate thing to do if you want to change your name. Either you take an already existing mantle, and if you do so then you don't try to transform what it represents, or you create yourself another persona."

"Yeah, I forgot how touchy ya got on the 'name' subject.", the teen jested, and Eddie huffed but didn't argue.

It was true that names were important to him, and not only because of his love for words. Indeed, in a personal capacity too he _chose_ his last name and his villain name as something precious, a part of his identity and a light giving a specific color to his roles.

Robin couldn't understand the bond he had with labels and the importance he credited to how to _name_ things, people, ideas and elements.

"I agree, though.", the boy conceded this same day. "If I show up adding red to my name, that will be with another costume. But for the time being."

He grinned smugly, and Edward braced himself for what was about to come.

"I'm gonna kick your ass as _Robin_."

Their friendship was a weird thing, really. Robin punched him during his schemes, arrested him and was forever a pain he must deal with. On the other hand, they enjoyed teasing each other and when they met outside of the Riddler's attacks, they interacted more like pals than anything else.

But to go back at the present time, Edward ended up approving the new uniform, even if he missed making fun of the panty. But the boy complimented when he went from spandex to green and purple suits, (after a first few sarcastic remarks, but those were just the way they both dealt with everything), so Ed felt like he shouldn't mock too much his partner in crime for adding pants and more red to the costume.

"I think Scarecrow likes ya.", Robin announced proudly a bit later.

"He does.", Ed answered with a smile. "He always has. He just doesn't... like me this way."

"How can ya be sure if you don't ask him?"

This time Edward remained quiet a moment, pondering over it. Robin had a point, how could he be... 100% sure Jonathan still saw him as a child, even now he was just past twenty-two, and proved to be a strong Rogues Gallery member more than once? Maybe... just maybe there was... more. After all, Jon may have known him since he was a teen, he was adult now. He was...

"Just ask him, Ed.", Jason said with a softer smile. "At least you'll be fixed."

"... I guess you are right."

"Oh I am!", the teenager claimed. "And I gave an advice about romance to da' freaking Riddler! That's just so damn cool!"

"Glad to see nothing changes in this habit of yours to share your self-made elegant phrasings to end a conversation."

They shared another smile.

"Ya should leave da't flat before tonight.", Robin warned later when he was about to leave. "Boss' rules: I can spend the afternoon with ya, but after that we'll be comin' to chase ya. You have one hour to leave."

"I know.", he approved quietly. "Bat doesn't appreciate much you coming over to my places like that."

"Oh, don't think that."

Jason grinned like the Cheschire cat.

"What do you mean?", Ed asked back, at a loss.

"Just a simple li'l thing...", he smirked, then confessed in a knowing tone: "Just so you know: if it doesn't work with Scarecrow, there's always another tall, spooky guy with issues who likes to dress up and lives to frighten people who will be happy to love ya back."

"What?!"

But too late, Jason flew out by the window after he fired of his grapple hook.

"Robin! Come back!", Edward called after him, but the teen was too busy laughing and being all proud of his mischief to even consider acceding to his request.

___________________

 

Edward felt like everywhere he walked, his friends tried to pair him with Jonathan.

Like, honestly. From the _moment_ he half-admitted he might feel more than a friendly affection towards the professor, all his other social contacts were being as delicate and discreet as elephants in a porcelain shop about how they should get together.

The worst was when Jon and him were together with pals who decided now was a good time to play love advisors without any subtlety. It always ended up in an incredibly awkward and frustrating situation for Edward, whose face turned into the shade of a rotten tomato with embarrassment and he couldn't even justify why. More than once, Jon even asked if he wasn't sick when he saw him being so visibly uncomfortable after some suggestive comments by their 'friends' -those traitors who enjoyed messing with him way too much-. And it was even more dramatic because the teacher's genuine concern regarded _him_ only, he wasn't at all getting why the other occupants of the room laughed at his misinterpretation. Even some of the Arkham staff body ended up knowing about Riddler having a crush on Scarecrow. God knows how, they heard the rumors.

Both the Rogues Gallery, the Arkham staff, the bats-and-birds and probably the GCPD too, knew about the fact, as if it was some high school corridors gossip spread in town.

Everybody knew it.

Everybody except of course Jonathan.

Edward sighed. Nothing changed.

For someone as openly flirty as the Riddler, whom couldn't pass an occasion to make Batman blush with some glances and remarks that held no room for doubt, he really reacted like a pathetic kid with his love interest. Maybe it was precisely because with Jon it appeared _serious_. It was not just like flirting with Bats or with... any other man whenever he wanted to obtain something from someone.

It was Jonathan.

He was not just any man.

And Ed didn't like being uncomfortable around Jon. He hated that he acted differently towards him now he was certain he was in love with him. What was worse was that Jon _noticed_ the changes in his behaviors, and he regularly asked if he did something wrong or if Edward was fine. Psychiatrist or not, he was apparently unable to associate the awkwardness and the frequent blushs plus little giggles when Jon behaved nicely with a deduction that would be obvious for _anyone_ else.

What was transparent for the rest of Gotham.

_________________

 

"What was that you were about to say?"

Ed flushed right away.

"It... hu... I will tell you later.", he stuttered, what was both unusual and humiliating for a master of language like him. "In a... less exposed place."

Jonathan arched an eyebrow.

"We'll have something like two hours before Gordon brings us back to Arkham. Why won't we talk about it now? Unless you prefer to wait for us to reiterate a stay at this lovely vacation home with ears and eyes everywhere?"

"I wasn't planning on waiting for us to be at Arkham to talk about this.", he argued. "I meant in a more _private_ atmosphere."

Edward indeed wanted things to be done... neatly.

Jon and him were supposed to meet, as they did five days a week on a regular basis. He planned everything for it to be the perfect occasion, the ideal surroundings and the best moment. He had to be the one who does the first move after all. He needed to... try something, otherwise they will still stuck in this very uncomfortable situation. He wished everything will go just fine, Selina, Diedre and Nina coached him for the organization of a romantic weekend, ideal for the confession of his feelings. Except that Jon showed up with a scheme almost complete he worked on with Pamela and Harley, and their supposedly first romantic trip turned into elaborating an attack on the city. Scarecrow had everything in working order already, so he was more inviting Ed to join than elaborating the plan with him today, but Eddie brought his contribution with pleasure all the same.

One thing leading to another, his intimate initial objective had no space to settle in their interactions, and they rather took care of setting traps for the bats. Except at one moment when the professor suddenly realized Edward sort of... organized their meeting, an excursion in a very nice place, and... activities, related to their favorite subject areas: science and psychology. So he asked at some point, quite out of the blue during their teamed up action, if Edward had a special intention or expected something else.

And after quite a time during which Eddie beat around the bush, he finally told Jon he wanted him to know that...

... before Batman, Robin and Batgirl cut short their mutual explanations by arriving in sight, and the combat followed without them having another moment in calm, as predictable.

Until now: they were both sitting on a bench in one of the GCPD's cells, before either one of the bats or Gordon managed to deal with stuff and came back to them to drive them once again to their second home, as the Rogues Gallery mockingly called Arkham sometimes. Ivy was the one to blame, she started the joke a long while ago.

The police was overworked, as usual, and so were the vigilantes with the other attacks led at various locations in town, so they were alone for the time being.

"Edward?", the older man tried again, worried over the lack of reaction coming from his speaking fountain ginger acolyte. "Is everything alright?"

"It is.", the other answered, mildly desperate. "Or let's say it... should be."

This time the professor frowned. He had taken off his hat and his burlap mask, for the rest he was still in full Scarecrow costume. Edward as for him didn't even remove his domino mask and his bowler hat, he felt more shielded in his complete outfit. They'll have to get rid of their work clothes to replace them by the Arkham uniforms in less than a couple of hours, but at the GCPD no need to look like anything else than their 'character self'. Edward himself called it that way. To him the world was a stage where people played one or multiple roles, so it seemed just normal he considered his Riddler persona as a _disguise_ he put on to dance and play his act.

And keeping the costume always made him feel more in control, both of the situation and of his emotions. Even when things weren't happening the way he planned.

"Edward? Tell me what's bothering you."

The younger man looked up to him. One of the many things he loved about Jon was undoubtably the fondness he held just for him. This little smile, this soft intonation, this look of genuine interest over what Edward said or of sincere affection whenever they interacted. Although Scarecrow was very good friend with Pamela, Harley and Jervis, none of them received these particular attentions. He cared deeply about the three of them, and loved them in an authentic manner.

But not in the way he loved Eddie.

He had never loved anyone nor anything the way he loved Eddie.

"I know this is not the place.", Ed said, his tone husky. "Nor the time. But... when is it ever the place or the time, right?"

He tried to sound casual and speak about it lightly, but Jon knew better. He had no difficulties detecting the awkwardness in his friend's tone of voice, and once again it frustrated him not to decipher what it was due to.

"You know you can talk to me about anything.", he reminded him. "I am your personal therapist."

They shared an amused glance.

"Well then tell me, doctor Crane.", Eddie played along.

Acting boastful and flirty was his way to operate, so since Jon gave him the opportunity, and because he was in full Riddler costume what boosted his confidence, he went on:

"How would you react if one of your patients suddenly stopped acting either distant or even friendly to step into a... more intimate sphere and attempt a new sort of very close interest regarding you?"

Jon stubbornly stared at him, his expression unreadable.

"I will stop treating them.", he replied in a detached voice. "A psychiatrist and his patient aren't supposed to be close, it would be illegal to develop a friendship or to get engaged into a relationship between them."

Edward sighed audibly.

He couldn't even tell if Jon was being innocently blind and unaware, if he rejected the possibility because it repelled him or if he was just in denial.

"Do you like me?", Eddie whispered softly, later while Gordon was still busy elsewhere and didn't drive them to the asylum yet.

Jonathan frowned again.

"Of course I like you.", he answered without hesitation. "I won't stay around with you and care about you like I do otherwise."

Ed felt warmed up inside. He cherished with all his heart the rare moments when Jon voiced out loud the sincere affection he felt towards him. If the doctor acted nice and often had caring gestures or special attentions for him, it was more occasional that he had recourse to words to convey them.

Because hugging, stroking Ed's hair, comforting him after a nightmare, making him a hot chocolate when he could use a break, shushing him after a painful flashback were one thing. But voicing out loud he did those things because he _really_ cared about him, although an obvious data, was not... as easy as it may seem for him to confess. Quite the opposite in fact.

"And do you... love me?"

The question has been asked.

How strange it was, to have been so hesitant about his own feelings, then so reluctant to bring the subject on the table with Jon, to finally end up asking it like _that_ , so simply, so... naturally. In the GCPD's cells, waiting for the Commissioner to bring them back to their cell, in the insane asylum where they will spend between a week and a month, as usual, before escaping again.

"... There is a difference between this question and your previous one, isn't it?", the teacher guessed, and Eddie nodded quietly.

"Words are a weapon I affectionate.", he specified with delicacy. "It's an important aspect of my Riddler act, and also a huge part of my every day life. But you know that already."

"I do. You are _always_ talking."

They shared a smile.

"I have a great respect for language.", Edward pursued. "For complex formulations, for how to phrase, for the way a person expresses themself. It's something I notice before anything else when I figure someone out, and something I _practice_ daily. Yet I can't think of an... adequate wording to qualify my current sensations. And I don't like not knowing something, so even less when this 'something' concerns an area so... personal, starring someone so important to me."

"... I am the first step to take when about to discover the truth, yet I question reality and live to blur resolutions. What am I?"

"Uncertainty.", he answered immediately, then blinked at the unexpected turn of tables of having someone asking _him_ riddles to make him understand something.

Apparently anything but bewildered, Jonathan kept going as if it was the most natural thing in the world:

"What is so fragile even just saying its name can break it?"

"Silence."

Approving nod from Jon.

"And something we must break over the subject.", he commented. "I may walk on shaky legs as I start and I can be very hard to take, but without me nothing would ever evolve. What am I?"

"A risk."

Jonathan smiled fondly.

"I am not completely blind, contrary to what you and the others clearly believe.", he revealed patiently. "I just... can't get _why_ you feel that way towards someone like _me_. I fear you might be mistaken with the sentiment. You have never been in love before."

"... Neither have you."

They both pondered over it a short moment.

"That's a risk I'm taking.", Edward claimed then, taking back the previous answer to Jon's riddle. "Your choices of words were impressively exact."

"What can I say?", he retorted, amused. "On that point like for many, I learned from the best."

Edward smiled at the reversal situation: Jonathan learning something from Eddie, while from the moment Riddler appeared, Jon, Pamela and Jervis, plus Selina in a slightly different manner, have been his teachers and his mentors in the business. Then, taking back his usual role, Edward asked:

"I am still used to seal a deal just like I breach the distance between friendship and love. What am I?"

Jonathan smiled.

"Do I have to answer it out loud, or will you welcome an action better?"

"I suggest you offer me an answer marked by a very explicit picture.", Ed grinned, to what Jonathan responded by a very collected:

"Alright then."

Jon put his spidery hands on both sides of the younger man's face, but he didn't lean towards him right away.

"I want to kiss Edward Nygma, not only the Riddler.", he clarified when he removed the purple domino mask. "I want to see your eyes."

And Eddie didn't totally blush like a school teen with a crush, neither did he giggle like a little girl when Jon stroked the left side of his face with a long cold finger. The gesture itself wasn't new, Jonathan had been affectionate with him more than once of different manners already.

But it held a much different signification today.

It felt so natural, why had this been such a problem to open about his feelings with Jon? He was one of the persons he loved and trusted most in the world, probably _the_ person he loved and trusted most in the world, yet he talked about their potential couple and asked advises from everybody else but was scared to talk about it with _him_.

Certainly because Jonathan meant so much to him, and he didn't want to loose their friendship over feelings that might not be mutual, and if so then confessing his might make things awkward between them.

Yet none of those fears remained in Edward's mind when the good doctor cupped his face and advanced towards him, then delicately put his lips on his.

 

When the Commissioner Gordon came back to the headquarters and went to the cell where he left Riddler and Scarecrow, he was exhausted. He ingested nothing but coffee for the past fourty-eight hours without sleep, apprehended maniacs with the bats and succeeded at arresting the culprits. But their intervention hadn't been efficient enough to avoid making victims.

The gang led by Harley Quinn will be sent to Blackgate later in the day. Poison Ivy and her were already on their way back to Arkham, the bats gave them the ride. Jim's job was done on that end, yet he couldn't take a rest right away, he still had to take care of the two freaks here.

He finished another cup of black coffee to give himself a bit of strength.

A drive to Arkham, he repeated to himself. Just one last trip today, then you can go back home and sleep twenty-four hours.

He could never have been anything else than a policeman given how he wanted to help people, but sometimes the job was also very constraining. Grueling even, especially when it implied taking more of his time for work and less for his family. He was a cop before he became a father, so he had a long experience in conciliating the two, but sometimes he felt like he spent too much time caring for others and not being there for Barbara and Junior. He still had the thought here and there, even now Babs was a thirty years old woman and Junior disappeared from his life after a massive fight between them when he was a sixteen years old boy, almost ten years ago. And as for his life as a husband, it won't be his wife who divorced when Babs was a pre-teen and Junior a child that will change the opinion of how he... failed, somehow, to keep his family from falling apart.

James sighed. People in Gotham saw him as a defender of peace and justice, he got called like that sometimes, and he knew many persons shared the opinion. Yet he couldn't help but think he could have done much more.

 _Should_ have done much more, starting in his own family.

At least Barbara, his little girl and treasure whom he loved more than anything in the world, never let him down and never thought he failed as a father. This was worth every sacrifice and harship life made him face.

Over the many years Jim Gordon has been a policeman, he saw crime bosses, a man dressed as a Bat who adopted a bat girl and two bird boys so far, an impressive collection of freaks mushroomed everywhere in town to the point Gotham City was known across the United States... and probably in the rest of the world too, for being THE town full of lunatics in costume. Other locations had their own representatives of this category of course, but James honestly doubted that Metropolis, Bludhäven, Star City and others were as popular as Gotham for the number of freakshows one can meet in the streets.

All of this to say, Gordon thought he saw everything by now and that whatever other oddity his beloved town could produce, nothing will surprise him anymore.

As it appeared, he was wrong about that.

Because he stared with the purest expression of _shock_ at Riddler and Scarecrow whom were kissing on the bench of their cell.

He actually let his keys fall on the ground, attracting the attention of the two criminals, and Crane shot him a death glare.

"Can't you knock?", he asked sternly, then without letting anyone the time to process anything, went back at kissing Edward with a hunger only justified by how long they've been waiting, and for how long he had been _starving_ to do this yet could never bring himself to admit the feeling, to himself or to others because of Riddler's age and their mentor/protégé bond.

Ed was fifteen when they met, and even when he turned adult, he couldn't risk to break the trust the boy had in him by evoking something that might scare him and that would make him recoil, then will push him away from him. While now...

Jonathan felt Eddie's hands on his hair, and pulled him closer into the embrass, both kissing as if it was the end of the world and they shared one last kiss before everything explodes around them.

"Can you please... sirs... I... I have to... drive you to Arkham... could you... I mean..."

Since that day, in addition to the crimes, the freaks yelling, gassing people, using machineries for mind control, spreading nightmarish carnivorous plants across town, liked to make the streets burn, cry, tremble, suffer, turn into ice and variations of those recurrent attacks, the Commissioner also had to deal with Scarecrow and Riddler being so in love with each other they couldn't stop themselves from expressing their attraction regularly, in a very demonstrative way what was highly embarrassing for people around.

It was not the first time Gordon had this thought, but today once again he concluded that he didn't get paid enough given what he had to deal with and everything he took care of in his job and his life.

 


End file.
